Post by Xatch on Apr 4, 2008 17:17:37 GMT 10
-----POKEMON TEMPLATE-----
Name: Aristarchus (Also known as Archus, Risto, Ari, and Starc, but that'll be explained later.)
Age: 16 years
Gender: Male
Species: Growlithe
Personality: If you asked someone to describe Aristarchus, you'd probably hear from them that he's over-energetic, a bit temperamental about some things, and stubborn. However, you'd also most assuredly hear that he's brave to a fault, loyal to his friends, and is willing to help someone who needs it even if he doesn't really know them. All of these would be accurate observations, although the truth of them is a little deeper than that.
He has a bit of a hyperactive disorder. It's a psychological thing, but also biological. He basically can't sit still for any period of time. He needs to be moving or he gets restless and starts pacing or running in circles. Anything to get his blood flowing faster. He almost never gets tired for any period of time from all this running around. He can be moving at a fast jog for six hours, and then only lie down for maybe one or two (if that) before he's up and moving again. His brain gets tired before his body does, which makes it very, very hard for him to sleep, and he tends to rock back and forth unconsciously while he's trying to get to sleep, just for the sensation of motion. He moves around in his sleep too. His muscles twitch, and he tends to yap and even bite at things while he's dreaming. He can sit still to talk to people, but not for very long. He can also seem a bit temperamental. He doesn't like people insulting him, even while just fooling around. If he said something silly and someone joked that he was dumb, he'd get very defensive over it even if he knew they didn't mean it.
He can seem stubborn at times too, and indeed he is. When someone says something he disagrees with, he'll argue against it for ages. He doesn't like debating with other pokemon, but he will if he feels like the issue needs to be addressed. He might not be the most articulate about it, but he'll do it, and if he actually decides to go into an argument with someone, you know it's something he feels strongly about. This stubbornness extends to dealing with fights as well. He has a hard time backing down from a fight, even if he knows that the other pokemon could beat him with their hands (or flippers, paws, whatever) tied behind their back. He always wants to test himself, by any means. If someone says he can't do something, he wants to prove them wrong no matter how long it takes. If it turns out that he actually can't prove them wrong, he tends to get very sullen and disappointed in himself, losing a lot of his confidence until someone is able to reassure him or he can reassure himself.
Despite (or maybe even because of) these quirks, the growlithe is actually a very loveable guy. He's friendly to most pokemon (although he's wary around ghost or dark types, just because of what he hears about them), and if he meets someone who needs his help, he's perfectly willing to give it if he can, and he doesn't care about being compensated for his trouble either. Sure, it's even better if he can get something out of it, but he doesn't mind either way. He can be a bit naive about some things like this though, and it has happened in the past that others have taken advantage of him because of it. He isn't stupid though, and 90% of the time he knows when it's happening. He just likes to think that most pokemon wouldn't do something like that, and expects (or hopes) that they'll confess it if he hints that he knows what they're doing. He does know when to stop though; as said before, he isn't stupid.
To those who get to know him (which isn't that hard to do), he is an excellent friend. He'll help you out of any jam, and will stand by your side against impossible odds. He can get very defensive around the people he cares about, and is quick to intervene if someone threatens them. If there's someone suspicious around, he's the one who will skip meals to keep an eye on them, and even avoid sleep (not such a difficult thing for him to do) if he deems it necessary. He's extremely brave in a fight, and if he thinks it's the right thing to do at the time, he'll leap through another pokemon's attack to get at them with his own. He is even better in a double-battle than he is on his own though, for he makes excellent support for any other pokemon he might be paired with, especially if he knows them well. He can be a bit reckless at times (okay, very reckless), and has been known to pull rediculous stunts just to amuse someone or to see if he can do it (like the time he tried to float down a white-water river on a log). He is often hurt (although not badly), but he is cheerful regardless. He does need to stop sticking his nose into tree-holes without making sure there's nothing dangerous inside first, though.
Finally, Aristarchus is a pokemon of great ambition. He wants to be the pokemon that others look up to and admire. He's got the spirit for it, too. He doesn't want a human leading him around like some puppy, but he still wants to follow that same path, all the way up to the top. His end goal? Well... He's not really sure yet. But he knows he wants to take the same challenge that human trainers take with their pokemon, only by himself... Maybe.
Aristarchus has an adventurous and independent spirit, along with a curious mind and a loving, trusting, and loyal heart. It might happen one of these days that someone finally teaches him that others are not to be trusted, but hopefully that day never comes.
Physical Appearance: Everyone knows what a growlithe looks like, or at least most people do. So you've probably got a pretty good image of what Aristarchus looks like. You know, the big round ears, the orange-and-black striped fur, the cream-colored belly and tail, the tuft of cream fur on the head and back of the neck, and the large teeth. Well, all that is true for this growlithe in particular. However, there are a few things that set him apart.
Aristarchus isn't really any larger or smaller than average. Where he differs, at least a little bit, is in his build. He's hardly got an ounce of fat on his body. It's hard to see through the thick coat of fur, but his body is almost all hardened muscle. Not only does he intentionally exercise and test himself, but he's almost always on the move anyway and has a fast metabolism. So, although he does eat a lot of food if he gets the chance (and I mean a lot of food), he doesn't really put on any fat. He is quite a bit heavier than average, since muscle is heavier than fat. All in all, he stands at 2' 4" tall at the shoulder, and weighs about 65 pounds. His build is a little heavy-boned too, which adds to his weight a little bit (but doesn't slow him down at all; it just means that he's less likely to get badly injured).
It is a rare day indeed when Aristarchus is looking clean and well-groomed. Like most canines, he doesn't really care about cleanliness, although he doesn't like to stink either. He most often smells like wet leaves and freshly-turned dirt, and he's usually covered in one or the other as well. His fur, while a vibrant shade of orange when cleaned, is usually more of a brown shade thanks to all the dirt that has worked its way into it. His fur is often matted in spots, and also very often has burrs and other such little things stuck in it. He occasionally picks these out if they tug at his fur and annoy him, but otherwise he simply lets them stay where they are, and doesn't really care. He hates bathing with a passion, although he doesn't mind swimming (it's the intention that matters, you see). He'll only take a bath if he smells bad (and trust me, he knows when he actually does smell bad).
Beyond these features, there are only two other things that mark him as unusual. The first is a thin chain that he wears around his neck. On that chain is a trio of small beads, each of which has a different-colored flame inside (one red, one orange/yellow, and one blue). The second is the yellow band wrapped around his left foreleg. It's actually a muscle band, which gives him a little extra physical power, but he would keep wearing it even if it stopped working because he thinks it looks good on him (which it does).
---Pokemon Related Stuff & History---
[Sprite Here]
Level: 5
Ability: Intimidate - lowers enemy's attack
Item: Muscle Band - raises power of physical attacks
Attacks:
- Body Slam (may cause paralyzation)
- Heat Wave (may cause burn)
- Flare Blitz (recoil damage)
- Bite (may cause flinching)
- Roar (makes enemy flee)
- Aerial Ace (never misses)
-
Allegiance: Neutral (soon to be the Wild Pack)
History:
Aristarchus was born to a family of humans sixteen years ago out in the desert, not so very far from Oasis Town. The family lived a fairly simple life. They were too far away from the oasis to grow any plants other than hardy grasses and a few roots in cement pots, so they raised mareep for their wool instead. Unfortunately, since they couldn't put fences into the shifting sand, the mareep had a tendency to wander off. So, they found a simple solution: get a few dog-type pokemon who could herd them. They purchased an arcanine from a close friend of theirs who lived up in Furnace Town, and found out not so very long after that she had been pregnant at the time. A few months later, there were six little growlithe puppies running around the farm causing mischief.
Obviously, Aristarchus was one of these puppies. He was named Rani by the humans, and given a collar and nametag so his owners could tell him apart from the others when he was first born. Within a few months, the six puppies were learning how to herd the mareep and protect them like their mother (Ely) did. Aristarchus was always getting into trouble, even as a pup. Instead of herding the mareep around in a group, he'd run after them and chase them around until both he and they were exhausted. He would chew on just about everything, and he could never sleep. On top of that, he would howl at the sun, the moon, the stars... Really anything up in the sky. Eventually, it drove his owners mad. Not literally, but they couldn't deal with him any longer. They sold him to a pokemon trainer, who used harsh words and threats to get him to do what he wanted. It wasn't until the trainer tried to force him into a pokeball that he actually ran away.
He ran and ran and ran, eventually finding his way out of the desert entirely. He didn't stop traveling until he got to the Pyrothia Mountains. There, he met up with a group of wild pokemon who offered him a place to stay. After a long and often dangerous journey, who could say no? He was given a new name, which he still carries today, once the rest of the gang decided the old one sounded too childlike for him. They also gave him the necklace he currently wears (after removing his collar), and the leader of the whole gang put the flames in it. The leader was a charizard named Ferno, who was also the one to teach Aristarchus to use Aerial Ace by jumping down from high places. He learned a lot in that group, including how to care for himself and how to lead. Ferno took the growlithe under his wing (literally) and coached him in battling as well. When Aristarchus (or Risto, as most of the group called him) said he wanted to go make a name for himself in the world, Ferno and the others encouraged him. As a parting gift, Ferno gave Risto the muscle band he used to wear all the time, and the growlithe loves it more than anything else he's ever owned.
After that, Risto set off from the mountains toward Barkwish Town, which is where all pokemon trainers set off. He had learned earlier about the gym leader challenge, and he wanted to take it. Actually, Risto even went so far as to challenge Damien to a battle, but lost badly. Still, he was undeterred. He made it to route one, and has set out the word that he's trying to form a group of six pokemon to take the gym leader challenge. He has a great idea for it. It will be called the Wild Pack, and the six of them will work together to defeat all the gym leaders, without a trainer of their own. Now all he needs is a team...